All Life is Forwards You Will See
by Oak-and-Iron
Summary: One-shot fluff. per-existing relationship (Matt x Karen). After Karen is kidnapped, she must heal while Matt cares for her. Previously had a story blurb summary.


One shot, simple fluff kind of a sick fic but not at the same time. The medical stuff isn't very well put together but it works so forgive me if there are some failings there.

This comes from a pretty personal place for me, my dad became blind as an adult from an accident and I was with him through all of his adaptation. I watched his sorrow and his pain and I watched him grow into being so independent and a much more understanding and patient person. So before anyone says anything about me being offensive, this is where I'm coming from.

The song mentioned is a song by Kate Tempest who is awesome and of course I don't own her music, nor the works of any real mentioned people in this story nor Daredevil.

* * *

He could tell she was unconscious as soon as he arrived, perhaps it was better that way. She wouldn't have to see what he was about to do to her captors.

Ever since Karen had stumbled upon the truth he'd been worried this day would come, voiced it over and over as she'd cover his lips with hers to silence him. They would have come after her anyway, she and Foggy were all he had and if anyone ever caught on to his identity they were in danger.

Maybe he should have listened to Stick in the first place, then this wouldn't have happened. He shook that thought out of his head, she had solidified more than anything that he could only look forward and regrets were a waste of time. Besides, their time together had been much too sweet to regret.

He focused himself on the now, listening to the people below him from his perch in a high window of the warehouse they held her in. Five guys, big ones with experience since they all seemed oddly calm for what they were waiting for. He'd have to be careful but five guys ain't nothing in his book.

He dropped down among them, landing a precise roundhouse on the first guy beside him and flipped out of the way of impending gunfire. He made short work of them and left just one man conscious for questioning.

" Where can I find your boss?" He demanded, landing a punch into the other man's nose to make sure he knew he meant business. The guy stuttered a few times and daredevil was about to hit him again until he heard her screaming.

He was kneeling at her side in moments, all of the character of daredevil shed because whatever was happening to her was scaring him. Her heart rate was through the roof and her breathing out of control. Her whole body was trembling in her panic. What she was experiencing was terror.

"Karen, hey it's me." He said and cupped her face to look up at him. She clawed up at him and he could tel from her breath that she was looking past him.

"Matt?" She said in a panic then shook her head, her breathing still erratic. " Matt, I..I can't see." She sobbed and pressed herself into him.

His whole body stilled, " what?" he demanded in disbelief, which certainly wasn't helping her as she turned about erratically trying to see. He recognized the behavior and help her to him. He imagined a lot of awful things happening to her but something this close to the heart was a shock.

He remembered how he'd panicked as a kid, the sheer terror and despair he felt for so long and how his dad had held him through it all. He needed to put aside finding out what happened to Karen in favor of helping her calm down.

Matt caught both sides of her head and steadied her, pressing their foreheads together.

" Ok, ok... I know it's scary..I know..." He sighed, " You're safe and I'm going to help you, I'm right here..." He said then added, " Can't you feel me Karen." He said hoping evoking her knowledge of his world would bring her back.

Her breathing finally steadied and she sighed, "Matt, what's happening to me?"

He shook his head, " I don't know yet, we need to get you to a hospital right now. Vision loss, temporary or otherwise is very serious." He pulled away from her and guided her slowly into a standing position.

" Does anything hurt Karen? Your head or your back maybe?" He asked hoping for a negative answer, she shook her head then laughed feebly. " I shook my head." She said.

" I know." He answered. " What can you see?" He finally asked, this was important but he didn't want t scare her. She huffed and shook her head, he reached out and griped her arm and she jumped. She hadn't been expecting it, he realized with a pang of guilt and frustration. This was going to be hard.

"Hey, I know it's frustrating but listen to me. You know how I describe what I see, I can't see but there is something I see. Remember?" He said gently. He was becoming more and more aware that they should be moving, getting out of there before reinforcements show up and not to mention she needed to get to a hospital.

" I see.."She strained, he could hear her blinking repeatedly, " I see spots, like blurred background and spots of even more blurred."

" Okay, so can you see any movement." He asked waving his hand in front of her face. She flinched back from the movement, overwhelmed. " Yeah it got darker when you did that. Is that a good thing?" She asked hopefully.

" I don't know Karen..." He resigned and both of their shoulders slumped down, " I don't want to scare you but this is what has to happen next. I am going to carry you to a hospital as quickly as I can, just close your eyes and trust me. I won't let anything happen to you..." He drifted off for a moment, realizing he already has.

" Matt it's not your-" She began but he cut her off, " I'm pretty sure it is but let's not talk about that right now. The scary part is the next part, I am going to get you to the emergency doors and you have to get help yourself." Her breathing hitched and he sighed. " I know, but listen it's just so I can run off and change so I can stay with you. You know I can't hang around the hospital as daredevil."

"I'd much rather have my boyfriend there anyway." She joked and they both laughed lightly. Good, she was listening.

* * *

He ran into the hospital doors as soon as he could make it back, winded from his efforts. He cleared his throat and slowed his walking, remembering he needed to get back into character. It was strange that his everyday normal person was just as much a mask as daredevil, he couldn't act as able as he actually was.

He tapped his cane on the nurse desk and smiled, a nurse turned to him and before she could begin to pander to him he asked, " I'm looking for Karen Page, she just came in about twenty minutes ago. Something wrong with her eyes?" He said as if he hadn't just been with her but had heard second hand.

The nurse nodded then caught herself and spoke, "Um, sorry yes... She is being examine, I can take you to her." She slid around the desk and he allowed her to take his arm and lead him.

"And you are?" She asked as they walked. " She's my girlfriend." he answered while looking forward, he could hear her faint voice just ahead, her heart was calmed to it's normal pace and he could smell the vanilla of her perfume. Getting back to her felt like coming home.

"Does she have any per-existing vision problems?" He realized the nurse was asking. He smiled a bit,

"No, I thought I was supposed to be the blind one." he said as they neared the door to the examining room.

" Matt?" She heard his voice, he knew and it made him smile more. " Yeah, Karen I'm here." He said and approached. He went to her side opposite the person examining her and squeezed her hand.

Her doctor was a middle aged woman, gruff but informative and kind if you forgave her tone. He imagined she probably had gray hair and had worked here a long time.

" So we're running some blood work right now, my first initial examination doesn't say much. I suppose for both of your sake I should say there is quite a bit of blood in Ms. Page's eyes which I think accounts for the spotting. I think what's next is to send her down for some scans.

"Can..."Matt cleared his throat, he didn't realize he'd been hit so hard by this and struggled to get his words. " Can I go with her, I know I can't be in the room for the scans, but as close as I can be?" He asked, Karen gripped his hand as if to reaffirm the request.

They allowed him and after many more tests Karen was sitting on a hospital bed starring at nothing silently while Matt sat in a chair beside her doing the same.

" Matt..."She whispered and he snapped to attention.

"Yeah?" This is the first time she'd really addressed him since he'd first arrived.

" Can you...Can you tell me what happened the day of your accident?"

He winced, " Do you really think that's going to help you right now?" He asked her tender as he could.

She sighed and padded around behind her, trying to get a sense of the bed and not fall off it while she laid back.

He smirked, " I hope you don't have to but that is something you get used to. Spacial stuff I mean, you'll get an idea for how big something should be and where you are in relatio-"

"Shut up." She said curtly and so he did. She sobbed for awhile and he held her to him, not speaking because what was there really to say.

* * *

They both must have fallen asleep because Matt woke to a scoff and felt daylight on his skin. The scoff was most certainly Foggy standing at the doorway with something in his hands, he moved it as he walked and Matt realized it was flowers.

After carefully removing himself from Karen's embrace he took his friend by the arm and lead him into the hallway.

" No offense but she might not appreciate those so much right now." Matt said, pointing in the direction of the bouquet.

Foggy blew a raspberry, " Man... Yeah you're right." He said and tossed them unceremoniously into a chair beside them.

"What the hell happened?" Were Foggy's next words, " Also why did she get nabbed? Do I need to keep an eye on my own back here?" He asked annoyed.

Shame was written all over Matt's face and Foggy felt instantly guilty for his words, no matter how much he needed to chastise his friend be knew how he was and he didn't need more of a beating than he was giving himself already.

" Ok, let's just talk about her for a second." Foggy said and Matt sighed.

" We still are waiting to hear back about her scans and blood work, there are a lot of things that can cause this. Not a lot of those are temporary and most of them are very serious and she is really scared.." He would have gone on but Foggy interrupted him.

"You're crying." Foggy said quietly. Matt reached up and felt the dampness on his own face, he hadn't realized it in his whirlwind of words. This was the first time he's gotten to say anything about this and it was pouring out of him.

A friendly hand on his shoulder guided him back to Karen where they both sat at her bedside, side by side.

" You know I was really glad you two got together," Foggy said in a chuckle and Matt gave him a look of disbelief. " No really, I know I complain about work place behavior but that hasn't actually bothered me either. It just feels right, I was worried about feeling like the third wheel all the time or that you know, she'd get hurt but nothing has changed really...until now." Foggy could hear Matt swallow beside him and he closed his eyes to bear back his own pain.

Karen sighed heavily next to them, rolling on her back before sitting up. " Jeez, now I really know how Matt feels. I'm not in a coma, just blinded by ass hats ok? You could stop talking like I'm not next to you and the only thing I can do is hear you." She huffed but she was being partially playful.

Her words weren't very funny to Matt, the familiarity of the experience was too much for him. He got around in his life just fine but would never wish it upon anyone else, especially not Karen. All she deserved was happiness, and he'd tried so hard to give that to her.

He grit his teeth and his mind wandered back to their first night together, in his apartment with the sign flashing over their bodies. He was guided by feel and he was certain without a doubt that the intimacy of the experience was the final nail in the coffin for her. Some girls didn't like it, because he wasn't typical; how well he could follow what their body needed, how emotional and deep being with him was but she hadn't been scared.

" Ms. Page, Mr. Murdock." Her doctor had returned, " I have some results for you." She paused, looking at Foggy and sighed a little sigh of relief that she might actually be able to show someone something. Realizing his duty, Foggy stood and looked over the results as she explained.

"So by Ms. Page's scans and blood work I think we have a rather unique situation." She turned to address Karen who was leaning into Matt as he tried to comfort her.

" Ms. Page, you experienced a small stroke," Matt's face fell into despair but the doctor continued, " it's called a TIA, however those are usually indicative of a blockage that could lead to a much more serious stroke."

Matt felt like he was going to be sick, he'd lost his dad way before he was ready and now perhaps he'd be loosing Karen too. His guilt hit him like a wave, this was his fault just like his dad was his fault.

A hand squeezed his and he realized it was Karen, " Hey, calm down..." She said trying to reassure him and it grounded him but also left him wondering how she knew he was needing that. Perhaps some of those senses really are intuitive.

" However, she doesn't look like she has any clots at all, in fact she looks totally normal." The doctor said with exasperation. Foggy smiled, " That's um, good right?"

" Yes, it's good. We found evidence of a chemical compound we've been seeing in similar cases, some people are much worse off. Imagine you could not hear either." She said.

Matt and Karen gripped each others hands tightly, both imagining their own personal hell if they couldn't hear as well.

" That's awful." Matt croaked, " What do you think is happening?"

"Someone is poisoning people with this stuff." The doctor said matter-of -factly and Matt's grip on Karen's hand became to much for her and she flinched. He pulled away and patted at her apologetically.

Foggy was more direct, " So then, does it like wear off or.." He asked the awkward but necessary question.

" Yes I believe it will but it might take a few weeks for your vision to fully return but you should have gradual improvement." She said and the trio sighed in unison.

"Weeks..." Karen said solemnly to which Matt simple kissed her on the head, it was going to be alright.

* * *

Karen stepped tentatively down the first step towards Matt's living room, she was wobbly and unsure. " Can't you just carry me?" She demanded as she gripped the handrail for dear life. Matt chuckled from a few steps below her, she could tell he was close enough to help her but just out of reach.

" No I can't just carry you because I can't carry you around for weeks on end." He said and she could hear the smile in his voice. She lifted a hand and pointed in his direction, " Stop smiling! This is not funny." He scoffed, impressed with her and her tenacity as well.

"You are..smiling right?" She asked. " Yes." He admitted and she asked, " Am I actually pointing at you."

Not really, " Sort of?" He answered tentatively while dodging her pitiful swats and grasps.

He stepped backwards down another step, " Come on, you can do this, all steps are generally the same height and remember what I said about counting...Do you remember how many steps there are?" He asked in an encouraging and playful tone.

"No..."She said pitifully. Then regained her courage and took a step and then another and soon had Matt backing down the stairs to the lower floor. When she reached the bottom she declared, "Eleven!"

Matt laughed and scooped her up and gave her a twirl that made her heart race. Setting her down on her feet he poked her nose and whispered, " twelve, you're gonna miss that last step and knock your pretty teeth out."

* * *

With one week behind them Karen was able to get herself to the bathroom and move about the apartment while bumping into just a few things. Matt would trail behind her and guide her away from more disastrous moments but for the most part he insisted she have independence.

"Have you ever heard of Daniel Kish?" Matt asked her one night while Karen sat on the couch, her arms crossed fusing about her predicament.

He sat down beside her, leaning into her and kissing her behind the ear sweetly. " He's the echo-location guy?" He suggested.

"The 'real life bat man?'" She asked incredulously.

"Yes!" Matt said with surprising enthusiasm, " Man, I almost wish that I had lost my sight young enough to learn that! I try sometimes but I just end up feeling kinda silly...Anyway, he says that blindness is not a physical disability its a social one."

"But...you can't physically see..." She said, omitting that currently neither could she.

" Yeah of course but his point is that blind people learn that they can't do things from sighted people and they don't get a chance to try to do something different. Like this echo-location thing he does, lots of blind kids do it too. They do it and guess what? Their families make them stop because it's weird, and it's not bad enough they have their defunct child but now their making funny noises!" Matt continued with his story.

"You're not defunct." Karen said sternly and Matt turned his attention to her. She held one of his hands tightly and reached out to feel his face with her other hand, something he'd been relishing her doing. She found his lips and kissed him firmly before talking.

"I would give anything for you to see the sky again but...A selfish part of me doesn't want that either. It's part of what makes you who you are, beyond how amazing your senses are and your abilities..which by the way are a lot sexier given the added talent required.." Now it was his turn to kiss her and he pushed her across the couch until he was laying on top of her.

She giggled underneath him, " I'm not done.." He sat up a bit and settled for laying his head on her chest. " Ok, keep praising me." He said with a smirk.

" It's more than all of that, it's part of what makes you who you are. Your humility and your kindness, you really feel people you know? Like you can actually feel what is happening for them and understand them so deeply. There is this hip hop song I'd never do justice to but it says something like ' Those things you don't show, I can see. Those things you don't say, speak to me.' and every time I hear it I think of you and what you do." Matt's grip on her grew tighter but he stayed silent.

" You think that your highest talent is how you can hurt people, and oh you can hurt people who need it but it hurts you too and I know it does. You worry so much about getting people hurt and what what you do at night means about you. But to me your strongest attribute is your kindness and I think you use what you've been given in kindness more than you do in aggression."

Matt sat up and a drop of wetness fell onto Karen's face, " I...I wish you could see how I'm looking at you right now." He choked and leaned in to kiss her. They kissed for awhile, their limps intertwining and their passion deepening.

Matt pulled away for a moment while Karen protested by pulling at him, " You know I was going to tell you this great, empowering story but I don't think that's going to happen right now." He said and leaned back down into her.

* * *

Karen was sitting on the couch while Matt was at his closet pulling on the suit, he had given it a full week before he felt the itch. He couldn't stay away from the city, it needed him and he was torn between that and Karen's need for him.

He taught her what best he could and felt confident she wouldn't hurt herself alone in his apartment while he was out. He'd be back in a few hours anyway, he'd have to remember that if things got hairy later.

"What am I supposed to do?" She sighed from the couch.

He shrugged as he continued to wrap his hands. " I don't know, listen to the radio? Listen to a movie..."

They'd already tried that one, without a sighted person to narrate the necessary moments most movies weren't worth it. She expressed her feelings about that by slamming her hands into the couch dramatically.

"Or you could just beat my furniture.." He said sarcastically. He heard footsteps, familiar and welcome ones coming closer to the door by the roof entrance but he didn't remark on it. He wanted to see when she noticed.

When Foggy was about 15 feet from the door she turned her head towards it, " Why didn't you say someone was coming?" She asked, knowing his play.

He was all dressed save for his helmet now and stood straight, " Go answer it." He said with a shrug she couldn't see or feel.

"Me? I haven't been so good with the stairs and you know that."

Another unknowable shrug from him, " Yes, that's why I want you to get the door."

She knew this game now, he'd been forcing her to navigate his apartment all week. While her spots had become a bit less spotty she still could make out not a single stair and most of her wobbly attempts had taken at least 20 minutes but she couldn't let Foggy wait that long.

She recognized this as one of Matt's sadistic tests, " Hey isn't there a thing about how a student must one day defeat their master?" She said threateningly as she ran her hand over furniture as she passed them. That earned her another scoff from Matt.

" definitely, but I'd have to teach you some moves first." He joked, then Karen turned around and walked backwards while she talked to him.

"You should...No I'm serious, when I can see again maybe though...I think this part of you is really... well you know.." She said blushing, " Maybe I can connect my Matt Murdock and your daredeviliness a little more if you taught me, also I think I'd kick ass."

"Karen be careful." Matt said in his normal concerned tone.

"Come on, wouldn't I be better off if-" She ran into something behind her and began to fall but Matt was already leaping over his coffee table and caught by the head and lower back before she hit the ground.

He helped her to her feet and she turned her head in embarrassment as Foggy knocked on the door impatiently.

A gloved finger caught her chin and turned her head up and lips met hers.

" I meant you were being a bit too cocky there," He spoke so close to her she could feel his hot breathe on her face. "But I agree.. I think you could...It's a long way to get to my level but, some basics would help you more than that mace would."

Her legs grew weak thinking about training with Matt, seeing the reality of daredevil in him. She'd fantasized about it before but never thought she'd really ask for it.

Her heart rate and breathing betrayed her thoughts and Matt gave her a swat on her bottom, " Hey now none of that, I'm trying to get out of here remember?"

"Guys?!" An impatient Foggy shouted above them from behind the door. Matt smiled and gestured and then burst into laughter.

"I just pointed for you to get going," He managed to say before he went back to laughing at the absurd situation. He'd been around other blind people plenty but not someone he usually knew to be sighted and he kept doing all those little things sighted people do when they forget you can't see it.

" Yeah, yeah.. next you're gonna ask me to look out the window or something awfully mean like that." Karen chided jokingly as she approached the stairs with new found courage.

She went up the stairs quickly, counting silently as she did as she neared the final eleventh stair she stepped forward to go for the door and something caught the front of her ankle and she went down hard.

Once again Matt was beside her, his hands on her arms scooping her up, " Ouch, sorry I wasn't up here quick enough to stop that." He said as he brought her into a sitting position. His gloved hand went to feeling about her face.

"Still have all your teeth?" He mocked, and she swatted his prodding hand away. " You know I think you can't wear the daredevil outfit around me, I just turn into a damsel in distress."

" Maybe it's subconscious, maybe you need me to save you with all of this hottness." He said and didn't bother to gesture to his body because they could both imagine it but not see it.

She pushed him away, " I've created a monster Foggy!" She shouted playfully as Matt went for the door.

"Whoa." Foggy said and Matt pulled him quickly inside, he hadn't really worn his new get-up in front of him and he was sure that it made an impression. He put on the helmet and tipped his head as if to ask his friend's opinion.

"Still think the horns are a bit much." Foggy said but gripped his friend's shoulder to insure he was jesting.

"Did you bring burritos?" Karen asked, standing and approaching Foggy. He held up his shopping bag of food and then lowered it down.

" I just held it up triumphantly." He explained to both of the and they said in unison, " I know."

Foggy shuddered and exclaimed, "creepy! Ok you can go now." He turned to Matt who was already making his escape.

"Thanks Foggy," He said and the two most important people in his world started back down the stairs.

" Oh hey and Foggy, don't help her." He said sternly.

Foggy laughed, " She just stuck her tongue out at you."

That earned another smirk, " Hey Karen, it's gonna be ok. What's that saying you say?"

"All life is forward you will see...I know it's gonna be ok." She said and he was gone.


End file.
